I have received a few PCNs from Parking Eye for the same car park. I have always ignored correspondence from them. If I continue to park at this place will they eventually try to take some further action against me?

I just got one from Parking Eye. In my case, the temptation to reply is not because I am afraid of having to pay, but because I like such games! However, I shall resist temptation and not reply.

What is Perky's latest username on MSE?

Debt recovery plus, who are used by a lot of parking companies claim that they have won judgements against a list of people: "Contrary to what you may have read on various web forums Debt Recovery Plus Ltd DOES apply for CCJ’s against individuals and companies who resist payment. Please don’t believe everything you read on the forums. See the below list for some of the CCJ’s we have successfully applied for in recent months." Are the judgements listed on their site real or have they made them up? If they are real, are they for private parking tickets or are they for some other debt? Thanks B

You don't have to give them information. I wouldn't speak to them or allow them to enter my premises. Not that I would be trying to avoid paying the license if it is legally required. I would simply operate on the principle "You make my life difficult so I will make yours difficult".

The cost of a smart card is less than £1. The management time involved is zero. The receptionist can make the card in a couple of minutes. While you don't have a card, you cannot use the gym (which you have paid for). This doesn't seem fair.

Good point tiler1, but they have told me that they are not passing on the VAT reduction at all.

I have received confirmation (on the phone) that Fitness First are not passing on the VAT decrease, this means they are actually collecting more in membership fees. I.e. their prices have gone up. Do they have a legal obligation to inform all members (all of whom are paying by direct debit) that their prices have gone up even though the value of the direct debit has not changed?

What about direct debits? I have one for Fitness First. If they decide NOT to pass on the VAT reduction, must they write to me and tell me their prices have gone up? (even though the amount of the direct debit does not change). Fitness First customer services say that they "don't know yet". There is apparently a directors meeting tonight (1st December), where they will decide.

Are there any banks in Europe that offer a free account denominated in euros? I don't want anything complicated - just an ATM card would be OK. No cheque book, standing orders etc. Any ideas? (sorry if this is the wrong forum, not sure where else to put it!)

I have used similar VOIP systems before and they were very uncomfortable to use with speakers and microphone. Were it possible to get a comfortable cordless headset that included a microphone, I would consider using skype. Do you know if the "Freetalk wireless headset" sold by skype is any good? The other problem with skype is the cost - it isn't cheap if you make only a few calls every month.

I was considering getting an annual policy from a company that insures against loss of excess when hiring cars. I notice, reading the t&cs that there is an exclusion for "The rental of 'Expensive or Exotic' vehicles, namely vehicles with a Retail Purchase Price in excess of $50,000" Even moderately priced cars can be worth that much when the pound buys $2.10. Do you think there is a problem here? [Last Christmas while on holiday we were supplied with a Toyota RAV4 in place of the Renault Megane we had booked. There is some chance that at that time, the car would have been worth more than $50k] Edit: Damnit, moderator, please change the title and remove this line - my fingers skipped a few keys! Thanks.

Hi, I am thinking of buying an ultradisk voice recorder UltraDisk™ Digital Voice Recorders & Dictaphones / MP3 Manufacture Manchester. They cost around £30. Has anyone any experience of these? What's the sound quality like? (You can use them either to record a telephone coversation - they come with a phone connector - or you can record a face to face conversation) [by the way, the Maplin call recording adapter suggested by steven4064 works only for tape recorders and not for PCs. I bought one and tried it with several PCs without success. The maplin connector is a Retell 0156 - what you actually need is a Retell 0157 if you want to make a connection to a PC. The Retell 0157 is available here: Retell 157 Handset Connector I did have a good whinge when returning the connector to Maplin since they had several products for tape recorders and nothing for a PC. ["Who has a tape recorder these days - I guess I might have one in the corner of the attic" ]

It would be easier to make a comparison if there were a single rate. Sure, you can do the calculations if you are offered a new two tier rate, but many people probably can't work out what their bill would be in their heads.

It is not right that energy companies should be private unless there is effective competition in the markets. There is competition in the UK, but whether it is effective or not is questionable. It is difficult for consumers to compare offers from different energy companies as they use complex pricing policies to make their offers difficult to compare with others. Were there legislation to force energy companies to charge a single per kWh fee and nothing else, it would be much easier to compare offerings from different companies. Is this a good idea?